Emotion as Evidence: Critical Pedagogy, Embodiment, and Emotionality in Academia

• In Event: 15.060 - MTCC Roundtable Session One
  In Roundtable Session: 15.060-4 - Affect and Post-Qualitative Inquiry in Education

Abstract

This theoretical paper explores the relationship between critical pedagogy and embodiment in college-level classrooms. The author utilizes their own experiential knowledge and analysis of their teaching experiences as a woman of color. She reflects on two prominent teaching moments when engaging with women of color students. At the core of the analysis is: Where do emotions, like anger and pain, reside under the adoption and practice of Critical Pedagogy? To engage in this inquiry, this paper reviews the following literature: a) Critical Pedagogy, particularly focusing on Paulo Freire’s discussion of dialogue and critical consciousness; b) emotionality and the importance of knowing how to conceptualize emotions in the classroom; c) lastly, embodiment and the power of the body in producing knowledge.

Author

• Gema Cardona, Berkeley University of California